Not Every Hero has a Cape and a Mask
by theGirlNightwing
Summary: . . . but a hero can be anyone who tries enough, and sacrifices enough, for the world. T for death and minor violence.


**I know so many fics have been done for this, but I was inspired. ** **My friend's neighbor was in Boston near the bombing, and they haven't heard back from him from when they tried to contact him.**

**Wally doesn't know Robin's ID**

**I'm age-switching the Batfamily so Dick has been through all the things Damian and Tim have gone through, but leaving Deathstroke's infatuation with Dick the way it is. **

**t don't own anything but the plot.**

* * *

Robin allowed his face to go slack from emotion as he threw the bird-a-rang in his hand at the thug near him, and put his hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"We need to evac, now. Grab as many civilians as you can."

The Team, excluding him and KF, executed his orders like robots, not questioning his sudden position as leader.

He sighed as he guided Kid Flash into a standing position.

The bird pushed Wally to a wall, and the speedster immediately leaned on it.

As soon as his friend was out of the way, Robin jumped into action.

Artemis stared at Robin with wide eyes. "He's been holding out on us."

It was true. None of them had ever seen Robin fight quite the way he was fighting now.

He twisted out of the way of one of the thugs' line of fire, letting the thug behind him get shot, simultaneously letting ten bird-a-rangs slip from his fingers, five from each hand, to explode in ten thugs' faces, not killing them, but knocking them out. He used the momentum from his twist to launch up into the air, flipping and knocking out more thugs with kicks and punches and bird-a-rangs. After the twist it was hard to pin down where he was, so none of the thugs got a bead.

The Team were still trying to get the civilians out, but there were _too. Many._

The thugs had a plan. A good plan. The hostages were held in a giant gym. All the two hundred and seven of them.

They weren't going to all make it.

* * *

Robin closed his eyes for a brief moment as he evaluated the situation. Too many civilians left. They weren't going to make it. Not all of them. "RUN!" He yelled at the terrified people of Metropolis, but they were too frozen. Things like this were common to Gotham, not Superman's city.

His yell distracted both him and the Team, and he let out an "umph" as he was thrown through a window.

"ROBIN!" Artemis and Kid Flash yelled, the latter snapped out of his reverie as his best friend let out a sound of pain from a few yards away. The Team rushed to him, including Kid Flash.

"No, don't worry about me, get the-"

But Robin's glove beeped, and showed the number 0:00, and Miss Martian and Kid Flash yelled, "NO!"

Time seemed to stand still, before a tiny "boom" rippled through the air, followed by the sound of the flames starting, and spreading, accompanied by the normal loud explosion sound, muffled to the Team by their shock.

* * *

Black Canary sat in front of the entire Team, evaluating their reactions. M'gann sobbing into a somber Conner's shirt, Kaldur with his head in his hands, muttering to himself, Artemis and Wally leaning on each other and not realizing who the other was, and Robin. She knew who he was because her and Batman's brief fling, so by extension she knew who he was. And she understood why he only looked bored and vaguely uncomfortable from his Team's reactions.

"Look, can we just get this over with?" Robin finally asked after a long silence.

Artemis stood up in shock. "_What do you mean, 'get this over with'? _Do you not care about all those civilians that _died_?"

Robin frowned. "Artemis-"

"No. Don't '_Artemis' _me_. Innocent people died! Some of their families won't be able to pay for a proper funeral, or the hospital bills! Do you even know_ anything_ about_-"

Robin stood up abruptly. "Shut. Up."

"Don't-"

"No, shut up. I know you're upset about it, but. I. I know more about death than you do. God, I watched my parents die when I was _nine_. I watched their bones shatter and their blood splatter all over the ground. I watched massacres. I don't know death? What do I _not_ know about death? No Man's Land. Central City." He sees Wally flinch, and knows he's probably remembering it. "The War Games. Joker. The Riots. Joker's Parade. The Blackgate breakout and massacre. Joker again. The Red Hood's attack on the Underground. Hush. Joker. Leviathan. The Final Crisis. The Identity Crisis. Arkham breakouts, all six, seven, times. Disaster. Casualty count. Disaster. Breakout. Belle Rev rebellion. Disaster. Red Hood's rampage. Deathstroke's obsession with me. I've lost my parents, friends, family, even _Batman_. _D__on't_ talk to me about death."

The Team was left staring in shock, but Black Canary just stepped forward. "Robin. Your identity."

Robin collapsed onto the couch in the place where he was, and sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have . . . You don't need to know . . ."

Artemis sat back down, still in shock. She was there for most of those, not helping. And Robin was involved in them . . . ?

"But. You can't save everyone. Yes, I know, we have a hero complex. We need to try. But there are instances, instances where it is impossible. Instances where people, civilians, _will_ die. And even if we can't save them, we _can_ help their families. Not every hero has a power, or a cape and mask."

* * *

The next day, Kid Flash ran all over the mountain to show the Team the TV, where Cat Grant was reporting.

"_-And we thank Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen, for each donating five million dollars to the families of the deceased or injured."_

"Not every hero has a cape and mask," Artemis whispered, a smile on her face as she slid down to sit on the couch, before letting her head fall in her arms as she sobbed.

Paula Crock's funeral was held five days later, in a Gotham cemetery with a big marble headstone, just like she always wanted, all expenses paid by the Prince of Gotham himself.


End file.
